The life of a child among the poor

Living conditions for the garbage people

Some of the children

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For more photos, go to the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/johndudleytu/Children111509#

Novermber Baptisms in Jakarta

A product of the radio program, this man's name is Yoshua and his age is 36 years. He has been studying with me for a year using WEI materials at my house before we rented the ruko. As we continued to study he attended the worship services. About 5 months ago he brought a young lady names Damilia with him who will become his wife next month. She also studied with me and both decided to be baptised on the 15th of November 2009. We know you also rejoice with the angels of Heaven. Praise God.

Garbage Man's Home 1

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Almost everything you see in the photo is scavenged from the dump. Underneath the floor coverings is dirt. It will be difficult to stay dry inside when the monsoon rains come. The ground will become so saturated that water will come up through the floor covering. The wind will blow rain in through the walls. Even in our tile floored house, there were many mornings during the rainy season when I put my feet on the floor and found, to my surprise, that I was up to my ankles in water. Flooding is a major problem in many sections of Jakarta. I remember spending a large part of one day sitting on the back of a teak wood pew with my feet on the seat of the pew and the water lapping around my feet. This was the highest floor in our house. When I went back to the bedroom, water was up to my chest. Thankfully we had lost our electrical power that day. If this happens in one of the finest neighborhoods of the city, what happens to the poorest of the poor in the least desirable neighborhoods?

We feed children. 50 cents will feed a child one meal. $15 will feed one child one meal a day for 30 days. Would you really miss $15 a month? Please send us a check today. Thanks.

Homes of the Poorest

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Three Things I need to Mention

1. Because of the economic downturn, there are more people searching through the garbage dumps of Jakarta looking for recyclables than in good times, making it harder for the poorest of the poor to feed themselves.

2. Some government assistance is available for these poorest of the poor, but an ID card is necessary in order to apply for it. After buying food for the family, most do not have money left over to apply for an ID card.

3. There is probably some fear in making application, too. Fear of being forced out of the city or into some institution.

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We feed children. Your $15 donation will feed one child one meal a day for 30 days. Will you miss the money? Really?